Coffee is made from the roasted and ground seeds, or beans, of the coffee plant – a tropical evergreen shrub. Two of the 25+ species, Arabica and Robusta, supply most of the world’s coffee. Arabica is grown in Central and South America, the Caribbean, and Indonesia; Robusta mainly in Africa. The shrub bears small white flowers with a jasmine-like fragrance.

The fruit, which is red when mature, is called a cherry. The seed is called a bean. Coffee contains large amounts of caffeine, whose effects have always been an important element in the drink’s popularity. Coffee grown around the world can be traced back centuries to its place of origin in Ethiopia. Coffee-drinking dates from the 15th century in Arabia. It reached Europe by the 17th century and immediately became popular. Coffee is consumed by more than one-third of the world’s population.